This is a cute little park. We got to see turtles which was a highlight and there's some small…read morehiking trails and a nice relaxing swing while you watch the pond. The playground is nothing to write home about but it's nice. It'd be a nice place for a run and outside workout.

This is a great park for walking. Just be mindful of the fly fishermen that cast their lines before…read morelooking behind them. The lines when cast are coming onto the walking path. This is happening at the end near the bridge. We have been almost hooked a few times now. Who would be liable for any injuries that might occur?

DO NOT GO FULL SPEED ON THE SLIDES!!!!!!!! They are fun but…read moreREALLY fast and you WILL fly off if you don't drag your feet when sliding down. Especially for the curvier slide on the left. My glasses flew off of my face and I thought I was going to fly off of the edge, but instead landed on the ground with a nice bruise on my shin as a souvenir. The plastic "kids slide" is like going down a thin lobster tail and is bumpy on the way down. Anyway. Would come back. The slides are still fun even when moving at a reasonable speed. The rock scramble stairs and the cargo net to get back up are also fun. Yes, I am an adult.

I loved it here and my kids said they never wanted to leave…read moreAn the wild life is so beautiful And the surroundings there were all so peaceful and proper and wonderful and I wish I could live there

I don't often make it to this part of town but I saw the sign for Pleasant Valley Park a few months…read moreago when driving by and vowed to return for a hike. It was a warmer fall day when I returned. I had checked out the park map online (easily accessible at http://www.pvpark.org/) beforehand. It's a smaller park with only a few miles of trails. But the trails are well marked and maintained. I followed the longer Hank's Trail and while the trail is narrow in spots, I never felt lost. There was some mild elevation but overall the hike was easy. Pleasant Valley Park is good for hiking if you just want to get out into the woods. There aren't really any outstanding features that I saw (like waterfalls or rock formations) but it's a great place to escape for a couple hours.

This is a very nice Nature Reserve, located right next to St. Vincent College. Winnie Palmer was…read morethe wife of Golf Legend Arnold Palmer, and she had the foresight and resources to create this little refuge that is free and open to the public. The highlight for me was visiting "The Barn," which is a staffed building in a restored barn that is like a little nature museum. They have lots of displays and also a few living creatures that you can observe. There are also lots of trails, gardens, and a pond on the property, that you can explore. They also have a restored historical log cabin, called the "Blockhouse" which you can see. The only disappointment we had when visiting yesterday, was that the boardwalk over the wetlands was closed for repairs. Otherwise, I would recommend checking out this place if you like nature and are in the area . . . Cheers!

The Coal & Coke Trail is a neat little biking and hiking trail in Westmoreland County connecting…read moreMount Pleasant with Scottdale. A mere 5 miles in length, it's one of the few Rails-to-Trails I hadn't covered yet. Really, I couldn't justify the time or gas money to do a 10 mile round trip bike ride. A 10 mile hike is of course another story! And that's just what I did as part of my employer's wellness program. I planned the whole thing and of course headed up the hardy group of hikers able to complete the entire 10 mile round trip. The trail begins and ends in city parks at both ends. We began at Willows Park in Mount Pleasant. The address I gave you above is the parking lot and it's based on information from www.traillink.com Drinking water and restrooms are available in the park, but the restrooms appear to be closed in winter. We began by working our way southbound. The trail was built on the roadbed of a Pennsylvania RR branch. As ts name implies, the railroad hauled coke ad coal over the line. The railroad was abandoned for many years, however after 8 years of planning, the trail opened in 2007. Upon leaving town, we hiked through some scenic wooded areas to the town of Bridgeport. At one point we noticed the trail paralleling an active rail line. The forest here is old growth and we crossed one of a few small streams. Beyond the town of Bridgeport, we again entered the woodlands while paralleling Jacobs Creek. Curving to the west as we approached Scottdale, we arrived at the scenic high point of the day. The sewage treatment plant. Yep! The trail even goes through plant's parking lot and is routed onto Sewage Treatment Lane! Well no worries--we crossed Old US 119 and then ducked under the new highway before entering our last stretch of woodlands. Part of the trail is incomplete at Scottdale, so we had to walk down Mildred Street , Bessemer Street, and Mt. Pleasant Road (they're actually all the same street) before reaching Kendi Park. The trail resumes briefly here but this was our rest stop and turnaround point. So this is a pleasant and relatively easy trail to hike or bike. Just remember, there aren't any places to obtain food or water along the path, so be sure to bring adequate supplies of each.

Great place to walk. You can choose to challenge yourself or take it easy. Got lots of great pics…read moreas well

Did the 7 mile trip today for the first time. It was actually the first time I'd been in a canoe in…read moreabout 15 years! The online booking was fairly straightforward. Both the PFDs and the shuttle vans could use some updating, however. The canoe itself was fine, as were the oars. The river route was very peaceful, with the exception of some choppy water occasionally, with some rocks we had to maneuver around. We did get stuck in a shallow section, but that was on us for not realizing how shallow it was. The take-out was fine, if a little muddy. Overall a good experience.

This is the place that introduced my family to kayaking. We've been coming for years. The online…read morereservation isn't the easiest to navigate nor do I particularly care for paying for the entire thing right then especially when it isn't refundable. What if one in your group dips out of the plans. Then you have either paid for person and you're out that money or you have an extra ticket that you may or may not use. Accept a deposit at the time of reservation but the whole thing is a little ridiculous. Pre-covid, they passed out flyers on the shuttle out to the river. If you returned the flyer when you returned, you'd get a free scoop of ice cream. Our family used to love that. We'd still buy more ice cream but after paddling all afternoon, we'd love to sit and relax with our ice cream before loading everything back up and talk about the neat stuff that we seen. This by no means is their fault. I just hope they keep it in mind and bring it back in some way. I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons. The shuttle that we rode in sounded and felt like it could use some maintenance and because the 2 rental kayaks we rented for our kids-both had tons of pieces of styrofoam, pieces of tree, and spiders in them. You don't have to spray them out after every use but least spray out the kayaks before using them each season.

I spent 3.5 days and 3 nights on this trail this past memorial day weekend, my first venture back…read moreinto the backpacking world. This trail begins in Ohiopyle or Johnstown and ends whichever way you choose. If I were to try to pack the entire length I would start at the North end in Johnstown and hike South, to ease up the ankle pain and knee pain :) That comes with packing 20lbs + pack weight and hiking 18-19 miles in one day. Throw in the elevation gain and you will see what I mean. I hiked the South end starting in Ohiopyle and going out to about 26 miles over my time there, then I turned around and came back over two days. Things to note for overnight campers: You can call ranger station at trailhead to make your camping reservation, by credit card it is 4$ a night. Water: there is non drinking water at each campsite, bring a water filter or boil that water as it is not tested. I filtered stream water the whole time and it was fine. Ohiopyle about 6 miles in has the nicest camping ground with access to a large stream, but not all the sites have that. You might want to filter water for night hiking into camp. To save hiking a mile extra back out to get some as I had to do. Firewood, there are fire pits in the shelters if you want to skip the tent but bring something to lock your food up, mice are common in the shelters. I slept in a tent kept my back in the tent with me. There are portapotty type johns at the campsites. Weather: if you check local forecast plan on temps on the trail and at camp at night being around 10 degrees colder because of the elevation change, and storms. Bring rain gear if you're out for more than a day hike! Now for the trail, it is blazed yellow on the trees hard to get lost but a map would have been nice to have. However no maps available in Ohiopyle you have to pay for one at the Laurel State Park office. I did not do that would rather buy a hiking book with the trail in it at a later time. In most places its wide very rocky, lot of tree roots its murder on the soles of your feet, wear boots or stiff soled shoes if hiking for more than one day. Poles could come in handy, I don't use hiking poles but I got caught in little thunderstorm and had to grab a forest walking stick. Some places it looked like they barely blazed a trail at all it was very narrow hard to hike on. Hike with caution. Beautiful river runs stream runs, skyline views, and rock formations. In the first 26 miles views are at mile 6 ish and 24ish, rocks b between 15-20. Lots of birds, and small wildlife I only saw one deer. There is a shooting range at mile 25, just outside the park you will hear lots of gunshots. I would not recommend taking a break or relax day at the Grindle ridge campground out there as I did. Also the campgrounds that have broken water pumps currently are Grindle Ridge and Route 653 shelters campground. This is a lovely hiking trail but steep, be prepared for a challenge in the beginning. Happy Trails!

How can you not LOVE the LHHT? Its a trail I've frequented quite often in the last 15 years, and…read morehope to explore the entire 70 miles. This picture was taken during the Laurel Highlands Ultra race in June 2017. This race can be run as a relay or individually. They also sponsor a 50k race, which is approx. 30 of the 70 miles. There are many trail heads and shelter areas. The trail is great for day hikes, as well as multiple overnight stays. There are also many ambitious people who hike the entire thing. Its always fun to pass fellow hikers on the trail. Trail stories are always fun to hear, and there are people from all over that you'll meet. Running the trail is quite a challenge, as there's drastic elevation changes at some points and many technical areas. I suggest if you've never run the trail, and expect to run the race, you must do at least 1-2 runs on the trail.

Whether you like to wander nature trails or learn more about the history of our region, Bushy Run…read morewill have something for you! The site commorates a battle that isn't famous, but they have a lot of interesting information about that battle and the war and time period in general. Aside from the museum, there are sprawling grounds that offer historical markers and placards that explain the history of the area. There are also some great trails to enjoy (and are also great for pictures!). They often have reenactment events but also host farmers markets, craft shows and other events on the site. Worth a visit, but especially so if you love history or nature.

A little known battle that took place between the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War…read more Tour guide was knowledgeable and we learned more about the history of Pittsburgh. Reenactment of this battle takes place during the first weekend of August.